Watermelon Cubes

For the last few weeks I've been obsessed with watermelon. The delicate crispiness of the coveted center bites, the sweet summery scent, and the deeply refreshing burst that comes with each bite are all things that make watermelon one of my favorite summer time fruits.

Within the last month, I'll confess that I've eaten almost a whole watermelon by myself each week. No, that's not a typo. And sure, I have a partner in crime who helps me polish it off, but I've been eating watermelon like nobodies business.

However, I don't like my fingers or face getting sticky, so I hate cutting it into wedges and holding it by the rind. The juice can drip down my hand, which results in a cold, sticky mess which generally detract from the over all watermelon experience. So, I cube mine as shown below and eat it with a fork (usually).

The beauty about cutting watermelon in cubes is that you can pick whatever size you want, and maintain that with fairly accurate uniformity. Thus, you can make it small cubes for a fruit salad, large chunks for a side dish, or long thin sticks for kids to grab.



Instructions:

Here is the picture tutorial. It is followed below with step by step instructions and a few hints!

De-rinded and sliced horizontally

De-rinded and sliced horizontally - take two 

Vertical cut 1

Fumble during Vertical cut 2

Final product. Enjoy!

• Wash the watermelon, and slice into quarters (you can halve it, but I find quarters is easier to work with). 

• On a large cutting board or surface, place 1 quarter of the watermelon with one side of the flesh down and the other facing you. 

• Using a long sharp knife, cut off the rinde, moving from right to left. Finish by cutting off the top.
• Tip: Turn you chopping surface - not your watermelon. 

• Make large horizontal slices by placing your knife horizontally 1/2-1'' above the watermelon and, gently pressing down on the top, move the knife away from you through the melon. 
• Hint: Work from bottom to top. 

• Starting from left to right, make vertical cuts from the top down. Turn your board and repeat to finish off the cubes.
• Tip: the last cut can be tricky as it may tend to topple. Keeping a loose hand on the top or side can help minimize epic downfalls of watermelon. 

• Repeat with remaining watermelon quarters. 

• Take to your next bar-b-que and have people wonder how you got such beautiful looking watermelon cubes with such clean cut corners!